FEAR AS FOOD PRICES SOAR

FOOD prices have soared in the past year, sparking fears that Britain’s most ­vulnerable families face a hard winter.

The cost of staples such as bread and pasta have risen the most, growing by 5.6 per cent since August 2009.

Food on average costs 3.8 per cent more than it did this time last year, research by the British Retail Consortium reveals.

And there is concern that price rises have accelerated sharply since the start of this year when year-on-year increases were as low as 1.2 per cent by March. Last night Tim Nichols, spokesman for the Child ­Poverty Action Group, said: “This will hit poor families the hardest because all their income already goes on essentials.”

Andrew Kuyk, of the Food and Drink Federation, warned prices were likely to rise further.

He said: “Recent commodity price increases are starting to show through in food inflation. There are limits to costs which can be absorbed before they have to be reflected in shelf prices.”